About Me

Having children made me look at my home's backyard from a whole new perspective. As my little ones started walking, I began to see how I could turn my backyard into a playground that was safe and secure for them to play. After spending a lot of time researching the safety and stability of the play structures and materials that were out there, I built a play area that's secure and fun for my kids. I created this site to share all of the ideas that I had as well as some other things I've found over the years to help other parents create the perfect play space to bring the family together at home.

They're small, excellent at hiding, and lurking in just about every corner of the country in one form or another—ticks are no joke. These things can hitch a ride on your clothing and make their way to a fleshy spot to bury their head and make a meal out of you. The thing is, even though ticks are often just thought of as a nuisance, they can be a huge worry. If you are an outdoor enthusiast, have pets that travel outdoors and back in the house, or just spend a lot of time hanging out in the backyard, you should get to know a little more about why you should be checking yourself and everyone else for ticks.

Some people are highly allergic to tick saliva.

You find a tick on your body and pluck the thing off like you know you are supposed to, being careful to also remove the head of the tick that may be embedded. However, soon after, a patch of redness starts to develop in a circle around the bite site and your skin feels itchy and may even burn. If you experience this, you could be having an allergic reaction to the tick's saliva. Some people are highly allergic to tick saliva, and the symptoms can get really uncomfortable.

Tick bites can lead to an infection.

If a tick latches onto your skin and you don't catch on for a bit, an infection could easily set up in the area. An infection can even come about after the tick has been removed from its latching spot. Infection from a tick bite can show up as yellowish discharge, fever at the bite site, and even redness and swelling. Once you have removed a tick from your skin, it is important to properly clean the area with rubbing alcohol to kill any bacteria that could be lingering.

Some ticks do carry Lyme disease and can transmit it through their bite.

Perhaps one of the biggest concerns about ticks is the fact that some do carry Lyme disease. Becoming infected with Lyme disease can initially just look like an allergic reaction to the bite, with redness and swelling around the bite spot, but the symptoms can quickly spread and cause you to feel pretty miserable. If you suspect Lyme disease after a tick bite, make sure you seek medical attention right away. If treated early, chronic Lyme disease can be avoided.